St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-04-09
THE MHE.LERS PROTEST.
They Announce That They Do MOI
Love the Interstate Law.

They Announce That They Do Not
Love the Interstate Law.
The Minneapolis millers are unanimous
in their opposition to the interstate COM
merce law. The following are some of the
opinions expressed by them yesterday to
representatives of the GLOBE:
John Crosby, of Washburn, Crosby & Co.
You may put me down as emphatically as
you can against the law. 1t is shutting US
down. Half our product goes abroad and
our foreign competitors are not affected by
this law. They get their wheat from Russia,
India and California via the Horn: the little
they take from the states reaches the sea by
way of the lakes, SO that the full weight OF
the increased freight rates falls on us alone.
Since the interstate commerce law went into
effect, freight from Minneapolis to the sea
board has increased Is cents per barrel on
flour and SLIGO per car on bran. a loss on
bran alone to our firm OF $500 per day. This
is a heavy burden, and as we cannot make
foreign customers pay an advanced price the
loss is severe. 1t will prove direct detri-
meut TO the farmers of the Northwest.
VIII Hale, of the Washburn Mill COM
pany: I don't know as | need say anything.
The Washburn Mill company has shut down
two mills, the direct outcome of the increased
freights brought about by the law. l see no
course to pursue but 10 wait for the readjust-
ment of values to conform to the present
high freight rates, either by advancing the
price of flour to the consumer or reducing the
price of wheat paid the producer. One side
or the other must pay the difference and we
don't think it will be the Touring mills.
c. NJ. Palmer-So far as it does away with
the pass nuisance and equaiZei passenger
rates, 1 am inclined to think that it will re-
du &c the cost Of travel and facilitate business
to that extent. AS applied to the milling and
jobbing business, the freight rates that must
necessarily be made, will, think, if they are
persisted in, annihilate business and the
price of wheat in the Northwest will be reduced
from to 10 cents per bushel, striking an almost
fatal blow to every industry carried on.
While it may apparently benefit the railroads
for q short time, the decrease in the volume
of business which must follow its enforce
ment will be so great as to injure them in the
end Its general aud rigid enforcement be-
tween now and the beginning of the next ses-
sion of congress will certainly result in Its re-
peal by a larger vote than that which passed
it. I was in Washington when it passed the
house. and the subject there was very fairly
presented by New York congressman who
said to me: Every few of US believe in the
bill at all. and many of us believe it will work
serious injury to business, but the great
American nation is kicking and must have
something, so we are all voting for the bill,
whether we believe in it or not. They can
think it over at their leisure, and if it doesn't
work right we will have something to do in
amending it, The action of the commission
in Suspending the long and short haul clause,
which contains the essence Of the whole bill,
is, / think, a mistake. The evils contained i'll
it should be experienced in the fullest degree,
and the sooner the better If that large class of
the public that believe that water can be
made to run up hill by action of congress.
without iuj uring the mill powers along the
stream, are to be taught an effective lesson.
Loren Fletcher-The millers have nothing
We don't 60 near the legislature. We don't
care what grades are established, and the
interstate law does not affect US particularly
one way or the other. We simply buy wheat
at prices which will enable us TO grind it at a
fair profit into flour to be sold in the worlds
market. / think the railroads will make more
money under the interstate law than ever
before. They wont make it out of the mlllerS
though, because the millers will either pay
less for wheat or ask more for flour to make
up the difference. AS usual, the farmer will
be the sufferer. When the lake navigation
opens up the SAINT Ste. Marie will pro-
tect the interests of the Minneapolis millers.
am not aware that the miliers complain of
any of the provisions of the interstate law:
in fact. they don't complain about anything
but simply take matters as they come.
C. A. Pillsbury-The interstate commerce
law is helping and will help nobody, except it
be the railroad companies. 1t is doing great
deal of harm to many branches of industry.
1t has already depressed the price of wheat in
the West. Before the passage of the bill
thought it would help some portions of the
country, but would be great injury to the
Northwest. The practical working of the
BILL however, shows that / was mistaken in
thinking it would help any section. 1t is a
great damage to manufacturing and farmin g
interests of the Northwest without COM
pensating benefit to any one but the railroad
companies: il will injure them in the long
for !, 0fn init
the great West will eventually cripple the
railroads. The bill will be repealed or greatly
modified by the next congress, and the ones
who will urge the repeal most will be those